Dreams
by xiamei
Summary: Naruto's dream is to become Hokage. He has now fulfilled it. Sasuke's ambition is to kill is brother. He has not yet succeeded. The Hokage must protect his village at all cost, even against a missing nin that was once a most treasured friend.
1. Dreams

DREAMS

405 words

Disclaimer: Seriously. It's fanfiction, right? I'm sure you can all do the entymology yourselves...

Warning: Shounen-ai hints, angst, character death.

Rated T for death themes and basically just in case.

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"_I've already fulfilled my dream. Now… I want you to fulfill yours."_

The words barely registered in Sasuke's mind. All he could see was the dagger pierced through Naruto's chest. All he could hear was his own breath, ragged; and his own heart, pounding.

_It wasn't supposed to be this way. Naruto was supposed to have dodged… not stand there smiling while Sasuke openly attacked._

Sasuke withdrew the sharp blade, hands trembling. Naruto fell forward, and the youngest Uchiha caught him, drawing arms tightly around the limp body.

_Naruto wasn't supposed to lose._

"Why…"

_Naruto… wasn't supposed to die._

"I want you to fulfill your ambition, asshole." Naruto smiled.

_Naruto wasn't supposed to sound this soft, this weak… He wasn't supposed to be tranquilly accepting death._

"So that… you can finally go home."

_Sasuke hasn't cried in over a decade… hadn't even come remotely close to it… but now…_

"Sasuke-yarou…"

_The furious torrent was unstoppable._

"Hurry up and go home already."

_And this time, there was no rain to mask the tears._

"Usuratonkachi!"

_It was hard, Sasuke realized, choking the words beyond the tears._

"You… Why? I…"

_I condemned myself. I don't deserve your sacrifice._

"You should have… fought me completely…"

_I should be the one dying._

"Baka Naruto…"

_His voice sounded pitifully weak even in his own ears._

"…Ne, Sasuke? I … want to tell you something."

_Sasuke couldn't help but tighten his hold. Saying such a thing… held such a finality to it._

"Hai?"

_Naruto shifted his head so his cheek leaned on the other's, and snuggled warmly into the desperate embrace._

"For me, Sasuke is… most important."

_Sasuke preferred death over this gnawing feeling._

"Naruto…"

_Sasuke lifted one hand to stroke the blond hair carefully._

"You are also most important to me."

_Naruto turned his head toward Sasuke, leaving a brief brush of lips on bitter-stained cheeks._

"Sasuke… conquer your goal and then… go home. I'll wait for you."

_Sasuke felt something cold yet warm and definitely wet being pushed into his hand._

"This is yours. Remember, Sasuke. Go home. I will be waiting for you."

_Naruto's heavy lidded eyes fluttered shut._

"Always."

_Always._

Sasuke no longer bothered to cease, or hide his tears.

_The Mangekyou Sharingan can only be acquired by killing not only one's "closest friend", but one's "most important person". For those who have sought and acquired this rare ability, they would always find that it wasn't worth it._

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"Most important person" -- This is a sort of strange word play/tweak. I haven't read the original Japanese, but the English translations all say that acquiring the mangekyou requires killing one's closest friend. I'm guessing that, in Japanese, it's be "Taisetsu na tomodachi" Which roughly (aka veeeery literally) translates to most important friend. So here, instead of "Taisetsu na tomodachi", I believe that it requires killing one's "Taisetsu na hito." (hito-person) After all, why stop a friend when someone's more important? It wouldn't really be an ultimate sacrifice then… 

"Something cold yet warm and definitely wet" -- This refers to Sasuke's leaf head protector. Naruto kept it, right? Well, he brings it around everywhere. The metal's cold, and the cloth is wet and warm because of the blood. Why isn't the metal warm? I dunno. It sounded better put that way. Let's just say that it wasn't exactly kept anywhere particularly warm.

I hope you enjoyed it... please review!

Dreams reposted because it was accidentally deleted (I deleted the wrong story. Mixed up the titles.)... sorry... (sob)


	2. Curse's End

310 words.

Warning: Angst. Character death.

Was bored one English class, and wrote this. :P It fit as a sequel, so...

Disclaimer: ... Duh, Naruto's not mine.

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Sasuke was still holding the cold, cold body when Itachi came. 

"Can you kill me now, little brother?"

_To obtain the mangekyou sharingan… one must kill his most important person._

"Now that you have received the same curse that I have sought, received, and hated?"

Sasuke's eyes flared, and the black wheelbarrows whirled swiftly within their red confines.

_It is never, ever worth it._

"I thought that you would not follow…"

The younger brother gritted his teeth and glared at the older.

"You were to hate everything that I am… you were to follow a different path…"

Fists clenched, and chakra gathered.

"You were not supposed to love… you were supposed to remain free of our family's curse…"

Sasuke slowly, deliberately, stood.

"Everything was to end with us…"

Itachi's eyes closed.

"In the end… at least everything will still end with us."

For the first time in centuries, two Mangekyou Sharingan locked onto each other.

"I will make sure of it."

_In Sasuke's mind, images of the past flickered fleetingly past. Of his family, of his brother… of the murder of his clan, of Naruto… Team Seven, the Chuunin Exams… Itachi coming, fighting, fighting… of Orochimaru, being captured and brought away… and then of betrayal… fighting Naruto and nearly killing him, that one day at the Valley of the End… constant bitterness, regrets… his path until now, finally free, finally 'powerful', but so, very empty…_

_It was all Itachi's fault._

…_If Itachi hadn't killed the clan…_

…_If Itachi hadn't told him of the Mangekyou… and if he had burned everything stating how to acquire it…_

…_If Itachi had never killed Shisui…_

…_If Itachi had never discarded him and reminded him of his once-goal…_

_Then Naruto wouldn't be lying lifeless on the ground a few feet away._

_He wouldn't be feeling so desperately empty._

_**I hate you, Itachi.**_

**_I'm sorry, Sasuke._**

**_

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_**Please review!


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